Qatar Airways to Relaunch Daily Flights to Canberra

Qatar Airways is set to resume daily flights to Canberra (CBR) marking the airline’s sixth gateway in Australia.

The airline says reconnecting to the Australian Capital Territory is a significant milestone, after it suspended operations to Canberra during the pandemic.

Qatar Airways to Resume Daily Flights to Canberra

Qatar Airways is set to relaunch daily flights to the Australian Capital City of Canberra, after suspending the route during the pandemic.

The route will operate from the airline’s hub in Doha (DOH) and include a 1 hour 45-minute stop-over in Melbourne (MEL), offering travellers the opportunity to connect to more than 170 destinations across the Qatar Airways global network.

The route will begin December 2025 with the following flight times:

• QR988 Doha (DOH) to Canberra (CBR) with a stop in Melbourne (MEL), departing 8:30am, and arriving 8:50am the next day
• QR989 Canberra (CBR) to Doha (DOH) with a stop in Melbourne (MEL), departing 1:10pm, and arriving 10:30pm

The 12,420-kilometre (7,718) flight from Doha to Canberra is blocked at 16 hours 20 minutes, while the Canberra to Doha flight is set to run 17 hours and 20 minutes.

The route will be operated on Qatar’s Boeing 777 aircraft, featuring the airline’s Qsuite Business class cabin and the newly added complimentary high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi for all passengers.

Qsuites, one of the most sought-after premium cabin experiences, takes cabin innovation to a new level with their unique seating option, such as their “double-bed in the sky” and their rear-facing and forward-facing seat combo in their quad configuration.

The best loyalty program to use for booking Qatar Airways award flights is Qatar Airways Privilege Club, since you have access to the best inventory of flights.

A quick search of the newly loaded route shows a one-way flight from Doha (DOH) to Canberra (CBR) costing 35,000 Avios for a seat in economy and 70,000 Avios for business class.

Qatar Airways ceased operations to Canberra during the pandemic, making this announcement a significant milestone for the airline as it reconnects to the Australian Capital Territory and the surrounding regions. Qatar Airways Group CEO, Badr Mohammed Al-Meer says:

“We are delighted to be able to serve Canberra once again. The nation’s capital, the political heart of Australia, rightly expects to be served by a range of international airlines, and I am proud that we are able to play our part in that. Whether travelling for business, government services or leisure, our commitment to Australia, and to Canberra, is one that we know will bring much needed healthy competition to the market and greater choice for passengers.”

The CEO of Canberra Airport, Stephen Byron calls the return of Qatar Airways an exciting and pivotal moment for Canberra and the surrounding regions, adding “the service not only provides over a million residents access to a global network spanning more than 170 destinations but also invites the world to rediscover Canberra’s unique cultural, educational, and tourism offerings.”

Today’s announcement follows the launch of sales of Virgin Australia’s new services from Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne to over 100 destinations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, operated on Qatar Airways aircraft.

The flights are on sale now on the qatarairways.com website, with the Melbourne-specific flights available for booking beginning January 2025

Conclusion

Qatar Airways, winner of the “World’s Best Airline” for the eighth time at the 2024 World Airline Awards, has announced the relaunch of its daily flights to Australia’s Capital City of Canberra beginning December 2025.

Operating from Qatar’s Doha hub via Melbourne, this service will become the airline’s sixth Australian gateway, a route that had been previously suspended during the pandemic.

The route will be operated on Qatar’s Boeing 777 aircraft, featuring the airline’s Q-suite Business class cabin and the newly added complimentary high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi for all passengers.